Yarn control means for circular



p 4, J. GETAZ 2,153,459

YARN CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 'Fil ed May 8, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' 97 INVENTOR A I JAMES L. GETAZ -BY HIS ATTORNEYS J. L. GETAZ Aprii 4, 1939". v

YARN CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1937 s Sheets- Sheet 2 INVENTOR JAMES L. GETAZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS April4, 1939. J. L. GETAZ 2,153,459

YARN CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR' JAMES L'. GETAZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 4, 1939 PATENT- oFHcE YARN CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES James L. Getaz, Maryville, Tenn. Application May 8, 1937, Serial No. 141,547

18 Claims.

This invention relates to yarn control means for circular knitting machines, and more particularly to means for clamping yarns fed to cylinder needles. The invention will be described in connection with a revolving needle cylinder machine, but it should be understood that it is not so limited. It is characteristic of the invention that the clamping area is so located and the movement of the yarn fingers out of yarn feeding position is so controlled and timed as to permit entry of the yarn into the clamping area in any desired position, with the result that by using a a plurality of clamps the machine can be adjusted to permit different yarns to beputz under difierent clamps, as desired. One of the objects of the invention is to permit selective clamping of difierent yarns by different clamps, and another object is to permit this to be accomplished within a limited space.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a view .in elevation from the left side of a circular knitting machine embodying the invention, showing so much as relates to control of the yarn fingers and cutter;'

Fig. 2 is a plan view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing a portion of the main pattern drum with theheel and toe control of the yarn fingers;

Fig. '3 is a development of the cam paths on the auxiliary pattern drum controlling the yarn finger;

Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the throat plate and clamping mechanism, with the clamping areas arranged in a vertical plane and a yarn being shown entering the clamp;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamps and a yarn finger of Fig. 4, the lower dotted showing of the finger being its feeding position and the solid line its position after starting upward, and the upper dotted showing being its idle position;

Figs; 6 and '7 are views in elevation looking outwardly from the center of the machine toward the throat plate, and the cutting and clamping mechanism of Figs. 4 and 5; in Fig. 6 one yarn being shown just before the yarn finger starts to rise from its feeding position; while in Fig. '7 this right hand finger is shown partly elevated with the lastneedle to take the yarn having moved further to the left as the parts appear in this figure;

Fig. 8 is a view in radial section through the throat plate, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6,

showing the position of a, yarn from a finger tive feeding position after its yarn has been out and clamped;

Fig. 9 is a view of the clamping area looking radially inward, the view being taken on the line 9-'9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the cutter shown in Fig. 5;-

Figf 11 is anenlarged detail view in side elevation showing one form of mechanism for moving a yarn finger into and out of operative posi- 10 tion;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail of a modified form of mounting of the yarn finger in which a springpre'ssed latch is employed to hold the heel and toe yarn finger in its various positions; 1 Fig. 13 is an-elevation lookingradially inward at the clamping area, showing how two yarns can be put in different clamps by virtue of the positions of the fingers inthe throat plate;

Fig. 14.- is a View similarto Fig. l3, illustrating 20 how yarns are put under different clamps by changing the time of raising of the fingers;

Figs. 15 and 16 are views in side elevation of a modified form of yarn finger particularly suited for this invention; Fig. 15 showing the hinged 25 yarn finger in its retracted or normal-feeding position; and Fig. 16 showing the yarn finger in its idle position in solid lines and in its starting feeding position in dotted lines;

Figs. 17 to 23 illustrate the invention embodied 30 in a machine where the clamping area lies in a horizontal plane;

Fig. 1'7 is a plan view of a portion of the throat plateand cap, showing three difi'erent idled yarns being introduced under three different clamps, one of the yarns being shown a second time after the introduction under the clamps is completed;

- Fig. 18 is a view in elevation looking outwardly from the center of the machine of Fig. 17, showing how the yarns are introduced under difierent clamps;

Fig. 19 is a detail view in elevation of the cutter of Figs. 1'7 and 18, the view being taken approximately in a vertical radial plane;

Fig. 20 is a view in elevation looking radially outward at the throat plate and clamp of another modification in which two clamps lying in horizontal planes are placed one above the other and selectivity is obtained'by proper timing of the raising movement to the yarn fingers;

Fig. 21 is a plan View corresponding to Fig. '20, showing part of the throat p y fingers, clamps and cutters;

' Fig. 22 is a view in elevation of the clamps and throat plate and to provide means for clamping a plurality of yarns at the same time. In addition, in the modern circular knitting machine, which often contains wrap stripe fingers and I many other parts just inside the needle circle,

there is very little room for clamping mechanism for the yarns fed from the throat plate. I have discovered mechanism by which it is possible to hold different throat plate yarns under difierent clamps and to do this without employing any movable parts in the clamping area. This selectivity and multiple clamping are obtained without the introduction of any parts adjacent the throat plate or clamping area, other than the simplest clamp and cutter, by means of locating the clamps in a specific manner and manipulating the yarn fingers so as to travel through certain specific paths in a special timed relation to the movements of the needle cylinder. It has heretofore been known to utilize the passage of the floatof yarn between the yarn finger and the last needle to take the yarn across the needle circle, to place the yarn in a spring clamp lying in a horizontal plane on the top of the dial cap. According to the present invention it is the timed movement of the yarn finger with relation to the last needle to take the yarn that causes the controlled selective clamping.

I will first describe the general features of the machine. The example shown in the drawings is a so-called Standard-Trump revolving needle cylindermachine having the usual needle cylinder 20, upper bodplate 2| and main pattern drum 30 mounted on a vertical axis coaxial with the needle cylinder and just above the main bed 3| of the machine. Mounted at the rearof the machine on a horizontal axis is the auxiliary pattern drum 4|] for selecting the yarn fingers in the throat plate during patterning and actuating the cutter for those yarns. Just above the main pattern drum 30 is the horizontal main pattern disk 32 for providing additional control. The control of the cutter and clamp and the yarn fingers except during patterning is from this horizontal pattern disk 32. While no wrap fingers are shown, the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 11 is particularly adapted to machines where the area inside the needle circle is largely taken up by 'wrap fingers or other mechanism and very little space is available for cuttingand clamping mechanism for the yarns fed from the throat plate. In such machines there frequently is only about a quarter of an inch or less just inside the needle circle which is free to be used for such cutting and. clamping mechanism. The customary method of cutting and clamping yarns from the throat plate over the shear plate is of course not possible in such machines, and it has heretofore been necessary to mount a clamp and cutter at the throat plate, which makes-it necessary to do away with one or more of the yarn fingers usually in the throat plate. In some instances it has been compulsory to reduce the number of'yarn fingers from four or five to two in order to accommodate the necessary clamping and cutting mechanism. It will be noted that in my construction the clamp and cutter are so located as to permit the throat plate to be provided with the .usual number of yarn fingers. Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 to 11, the needle cylinder 20 contains the usual independent latch needles 22, and there is the usual latch ring 23. Cut in this latch ring 23 is an opening constituting a. throat plate 24. In 5 the example shown in these figures I have illustrated four yarn fingers 25, 26, 21 and 28 in the throat plate, the yarn finger nearest the knocking-over point (i. e., the lowermost finger in Fi 4) being numbered 25, and the numerals to idle position, the end of the finger swings across 15 the needle circle. The clamping area is located just past the throat plate in the direction of movement of the needles, as can be seen in Fig. 4. There are no moving parts in the clamping area,

the clamping means consisting of stationary g spring clamps. The clamping means are mounted on the latch ring 23 by means of a bracket 33 extending across the needle circle at a level Just above the throat plate and then downwardly in the form of a flat plate 34. The lower end of 25 this plate 34 has a depending tail 35 extending downwardly to approximately the normal level 36 of the needles. This tail 35 is on the edge of the plate nearest the throat plate. This plate 34 lies in a vertical plane just inside the needle circle, 30

the clamps being fastened on its face on the side towards the needle circle, i. e., facing outwardly on the machine. In the example shown in Figs. 4 to 11, there are three clamps 31, 38, 39 fastened at their upper ends and extending downwardly in 35 a verticaldirectionh The three springs are of difierent lengths, the longest one being furthest from the throat plate 24 and the shortest one.

being nearest the throat plate. All three springs are shown as ending above the bottom of the throat plate. The lower ends of these springblade clamps are bent slightly outward, as shown in Fig. 8, to facilitate the entry of the yarns under them. In addition the face of the plate 34 on which the clamps lie is corrugated, as shown in Fig. 9, underneath the clamps so as to provide a roughened surface to improve the grip that the clamps have on the yarn.

The bracket carrying the clamps also carries the cutter. In the drawings this cutter is shown as being of the scissors type, with downwardly 50 depending blades. There is a stationary blade 4| lying inside but facing towards the needle circle, and a movable blade 42 adapted, when the scissors are open, to lie across the needle circle. When the scissors formed by blades 4| and 42 are open, the needles are down, and when the scissors are closed, the cutter is out of the the blade 42 causes the scissors to open, and radially outward movement of the upper end causes them to close. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4,: the upper end of the movable blade 42 is pivotally attached to a link 43 whose outer end is 3 pivoted to theupper end of a bent arm 44 mounted on a bracket 45 carried by the latch ring.

The major portion of the bent arm 44 is below 7 its pivoting point on the bracket 45, and extending between the bracket 45 and a point on the arm 44 below the pivot point is a tension spring 46 tending to pull the link 43 radially outward, thereby keeping the scissors closed." The bent lowerend of this lever 44 overlies a pin extending laterally from the lower arm of a bell crank lever 41 pivoted on the bracket. carrying the latch ring. When the lower arm of the bell crank lever swings upwardly, it pushes against the bent end of the lever 44 and causes the scissors 4|, 42 to open against the tension of spring 46. The controls from the horizontal disk 32 and the auxiliary pattern drum 40 are inde= pendent of each other but come together at this bell crank lever 41. The connections to the auxiliiary pattern drum actuate the bell-crank lever by contact with the upper arm, while the controls from the horizontal pattern disk 32 actuate the bell crank lever by contact with the lower arm. Iwill first describe the latter. The horizontal pattern disk' 32 revolves in unison with the'needle cylinder. Projecting upwardly from the upper surface of this disk are a sumcient number of cams to control the cutting of the' 1. yarns from the throat plate pattern fingers 25,

' is linked to a long reading lever 5! extending 26, 21 which relate to body yarn changes as distinguished from horizontal striping or other pattern effects. These cam surfaces 48 on the upper side of the disk 32 come under the lower ends of a thrust rod 49 which extends upwardly through the upper bedplate 2| and has an extension 49a underlying the lower end of the bell crank lever 41. When a cam 48 raises thethrust rod 48, the bell crank lever is tipped and the scissors 4!, 42 open. When the thrust rod drops of! the cam 48 the scissors close. v

Extending laterally from the upper arm of the bell crank lever 41 is a pin lying in a long slot in one end of a horizontal link 50 whose rear end downwardly to the auxiliary pattern drum. This lever and other similar pivoted levers for the yarn fingers are pivoted on a bracket 52 which is an extension of the main bed 3! of the machine. The notch 58 in which the pin on the upper arm of the bell crank lever lies is long enough so thatthe bell crank lever can be tipped by the thrust rod as without moving the link 50, but when the hell crank lever has not been tipped by the thrust rod 39,-the pin lies at the front of the slot 53, so that any rearward movement of the link 50 can tip the bell crank lever. 'At the lower end of the long reading lever 5| is a reading finger M lying in one of the cam paths on the auxiliary pattern drum 48. In this cam path are a suitable number of cams 55 to actuate the cutter whenever any yarn at the throat plate is taken out of action. These cams 55 can beseen in Fig. 3. where thefinger 54 is shown up on one of the cams, at which moment the bell crank lever 41 is tipped and the scissors are open, ready to receive a yarn to be out. As soon as this reading finger 54 falls oi! the cam 55, the yarn will be cut. The auxiliary pattern drum can be racked forward by pawl .51 acting on teeth 56 on the drum, by any desired mechanism. One

suitable means would be to connect the pawl to some element which has a cycle equal to one revolution of the needle cylinder, so that the pattern drumwill be racked forward once for each revolution of the needle cylinder. The auxiliary pattern drum turns in the direction of the curved arrow on it in Fig. 1. With this arrangement the cams shown in Fig. 1 will cause the in the drawings, Figs. 1 to 11, I have shown them controlled for paterning purposes from. the auxiliary pattern drum 48'. The elements immediately associated with the yarn fingers 25, 26, 21.

for moving them are very similar to those shown and described in the H. E; Houseman patent No. 1,161,677, dated November 23, 1915. The hub of each yarn finger has teeth 58 in it. These teeth engage similar ones on thehub of a toothed lever pivoted at 8| just in back of the pivot point of n the yarn fingers, this lever 68 depending downwardly from its pivot point. The lower end of each lever extends between the arms of a-forked bar 32 pivotally supported at its lower end in any desired manner. There is a tension spring 63 tending to pull the forked bar 62 radially outward, which would have the eiiect of tending to raise the corresponding yarn finger to idle position. Opposed to this tension spring 63 are the elements connecting the forked bar 82 with the auxiliary pattern drum, as shown in Fig. 1. These elements for each yarn finger comprise a horizontal push rod 84 whose outer end is linked to a long pivoted reading lever 85 with a reading cam 66 near the lower end thereof lying against the auxiliary pattern drum 40 and adapted to read the cams 81,. 81!, 81 in the paths on that drum. There is a tension spring 68 tending to pull the upper end of that lever 65 forward, which would have the efiect of pushing the yarn finger down into its operative position. This would be the normal position of the parts, and

they leave that position only when a cam on the auxiliary pattern drum tips the lever 65 or some other lever or cam moves the lever 85. As in the case of the cutter, the cams on the auxiliary pattern drum are for the purpose of changing the throat plate yarn for the making of horizontal stripes or the like, and other mechanism is employed for changing the throat plate yarn for theting of the heel and toe, all the pattern yarn fingers are pulled out of action-by means of a cam 69 on the main pattern drum 30. This drum cam moves a reading finger III on a pivoted lever H adjacent the main pattern drum. This pivoted lever I I is linked to a rocker arm" on the bed'of the machine, and there is a pin 14 in' the lower end oi. the rocker arm lying beside the lower ends of the pivoted reading levers 65. These partsare arranged in such manner that when the finger l0 rides up on the drum cam 88, the long levers 85 are rocked, pulling the push rods 64 away from their forked arms 82 and permitting the tension springs 83 to raise the yarn fingers out of operative position.

, movement.

' In the case of the heel and toe yarn fingers, the usual spring-actuated pawl lever 15 can be provided to hold the finger in its up or down position (Fig. 12). The pawlengages either one of the two notches or detents I6 in the hub of the yarn finger, dependent upon whether the finger ls swung up or down.

With the construction described above, when a throat plate yarn ceases to be fed to the needles by the yarn fin'ger being raised, the finger motion has as its principal component a vertical movement. The continued rotation of the last needle to take the yarn andthe fact that the feeding end of the yarn finger at once crosses the needle circle. toward the inside, causes a comparatively small but necessary horizontal component of In this way the portion of yarn between the last needle to take it and the yarn finger-and which length of yarn is under tension-is carried inward and placed accurately against the plate 34 where the clamps are located. As the motion of both ends of this part ofthe yarn is under positive control,'yarn may be placed with precision wherever it is desired. The position of the yarn just before the vertical component of movement carries it upwardly under the clamps is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The arrow in the lower portion of each figure indicates the direction of movement of the needles, and the arrow in the upper left portion of Fig. 5 shows the direction of movement of the yarn finger. Referring to Fig. 6, the high needle 11 at the right of the figure has been raised to start taking of the yarn, and the dotted line below the top of this needle (at the right of it) indicates the level of the tops of needles which are not raised but will take the splicing yarn because the feeding has been started. Revolution of the needle cylinder brings the yarn between the needle I9 and the yarn'finger 21, to a level where it is above the depending tail 35 of the plate 34 and cannot get behind it. Referring now to Fig. 7, we find that the needle 19 has moved later than the position of that figure. 'I 'he yarn has now ceased to feed to the needles. It now lies against the surface of the plate 34, as shown in Fig. 4, and as the yarn finger moves upwardly to its dotted or idle position of Fig. '1, the yarn gets under the three clamps, the cutter closes .and the yarn is cut and clamped. It now lies under the clamps, as shown in Fig. 9.

When the yarn finger 21 is at the intermediate level shown in solid lines in Fig. 7, the yarn is just going under the clamps. It is sometimes desirable to have the finger hesitate a moment at thislevel to give "the last needle to take the yarn an opportunity to move the yarn into the clamp while the yarn isnot moving vertically. This insures accurate placing of the yarn in the clamps. The hesitation of the finger can be caused by steps in the drum cams operating the yarn fingers. Such steps have been shown in cams l1 and 91 in Fig. 3. Cam 6'! can also be stepped if desired. The raising of the finger from the surface of the drum to the step stops the feeding of the yarn and the position of the foot of the cam therefore is not changed when putting in a step on the cam. The end of the bevel also need not be disturbed.

- Figs. 6, '7 and 8 alsoillustrate howa yarn is brought back into operative, relation with the needles. As shown in Figs. 6 and 8, when it is desired to bring a yarn back into feeding position the yarn finger is merely moved down onto the throat plate when, by virtue of the end of the yarn finger crossing the needle circle to the outside, the yarn lies across the path of the elevated needles, as shown in Fig. 8. As this raised needle goes down under the knitting cams, ittakes the yam from the yarn finger and starts to feed, the yarn under the clamp being pulled out as the needle moves along. It is possible to clamp a number of yarns under these three clamps and to move any one of the yarns desired without disturbing the others.

The angle of the yarn between the last needle and the yarn finger as they present the yarn to the clamps is important and it has been found that the differing distance of the yarn fingers in the throat plate from the clamps creates a slightly different angle for each yarn finger. I therefore propose to vary the time of raising the different yarn fingers to give a uniform angle of presentation of the yarn to the clamp. To accomplish this, I use dififerent angles at the beginning of the drum cams 61, 81 and 91, for example, (as shown in Fig. 3) which causes the three yarn fingers to be raised at different speeds. The steps previously referred to are incorporated in the different angles. Thus the drum cam 61 may cause its yarn finger 25 to be raised rapidly, but the slower bevel at the beginning of drum cam 81 will raise its yarn finger 26 at a slower rate,-

and the bevel at'the beginning of drum cam 91 will raise its yarn finger 21 more slowly than either cams 61 or 81. In this way the raising of the yarn finger to assist in stopping the feeding of the needles can be started at the regular time, but the angle of presentation of the yarn to the clamps can be kept uniform from finger to finger.

By utilizing the vertical movement of the yarn due to the raising of the yarn finger, it is possible to use a stationary clamp which occupies very little room, rather than a clamp which has moving parts and for which there would be no room in the average modern circular knitting machine with pattern or dial elements in the cylinder space.

I will now describe the modification shown in Figs. Band 14 which illustrates one form of what I shall term selective clamping. By this term is meant clamping different yarns under different clamps by presenting the different y'arns in the clamping area at different angles. One purpose of having selective clamping is to enable yarns of different sizes and character to be heldin an effective manner. Broadly speaking, there are two ways in which this presentation of yarns at different positions can be'accomplished. It can be caused by raising the yarn fingers at the same time relatively to the location of the needle ylinder and relying on the difference in distance be noted that Figs. 13 and ii, in distinction to Figs. 6 and 7', view the parts looking radially in-' ward with the throat plate shown in dotted outline in orderthat the other parts may be seen more clearly. I'he direction of movement of the needles in these two figures is from left to right, as shown by the arrowheads at the lower left of the figures. In Fig. 13, the yarn fingers and 28 are shown at the intermediate or hesitation level corresponding to the steps in the drum cams, and the finger 28 is also shown in its uppermost or idle position. It will be observed that in Fig.

13 the yarn from finger 25 and the yarn from finger .28 both appear to be going to the same needle 19. This is intended to indicate that both yarn fingers were raised to the intermediate level at the same time relative to the rotation of the needle cylinder, though of course on different revolutions. It will be observed that owing to the fact the two yarn fingers are widely separated in the throat plate, the yarn from finger 28 has contacted the plate 34 below the spring clamp 80 and therefore will go under that clamp, while the yarn from finger 25 is at a higher angle and lies on top of the clamp 80. This yarn from finger 25 therefore will go under clamps 38 and 39, but not under Bil, while the yarn from finger 28 will go under all three clamps 80, 38 and 39, as shown by the yarn coming from the finger 28 in its solid line position at the top of the figure. It is possible to have a multiplicity of clamps one on top of the other rather than side by side, and in Figs. 13 and 14 this has been illustrated by the superposition of 'a short clamp 3'! on top of the long clamp 80. Thus the yarn from finger 25 will not only go under clamps 39 and ,38, but also under the short clamp 31, and all three clamps could be put ontop of each other, doing away with the necessity for having clamps side by side.

In Fig. 14, while the yarn fingers .26 and 2'i are shown at the same intermediate level where their yarns first contact the plate 3fi,it will be observed from the positions of their needles that they were not raised at the same rate. While both yarn fingers started to rise at the same moment, the yarn finger 21 was raised more rapidly and reached the hesitation level when the last needle to take its yarn reached the position 82. As a result-its yarn will pass under the long clamp 30. On the other hand, the finger 26 was.

ing area, finds itself on top of the long clamp 80.

In this way, one yarn goes under clamps 80, 38

and 33, while the other goes over clamp Bil and under clamps 39, 38 and 3t.

As shown in Fig. 11,- it is generally desirable that the toe of the yarn finger be as close as possible to the needle circle, particularly in order that the finger may carry the yarn into contact with the plate 34 as soon as possible after the finger starts to rise. Incertain types of machines, however, it is best to feed the heel and toe yarn from the corner of the throat plate, and in order to accomplish this it is necessary that the finger be retracted to the position shown in Fig. 15. In beginning to feed the heel and toe yarn the finger is forward in the position of Fig. 11; or the dotted line position in Fig. 16, so that the needles can take the yarn. In have devised a novel yarn finger which can assume itsthree positions without any outside aid. To do this the drum cam has two heights (not shown) over and above the hesitation step. The length of the push rod 61 is adjusted so that in the idle position of the fingera high portion of the drum cam is in acare in the position shown in Fig. 15 where the yarn finger is retracted to feed its yarn over the corner of the throat plate. The novel finger is pivot point on the toe portion is a short distance from its rear end, and there is a tension spring 85 between the rear end of the toe portion and the leg tending to straighten these two elements out into a straight line by pulling the feeding end of the toe downward. There is a ing 86 on the back side of the leg which limits this straightening movement to the extent shown in the solid line position of the parts in Fig. 16. The angles of the parts are such that as the leg pulls the toe' radially outward away from the needles, as shown in Fig. 15, the tension spring keeps the feeding end of the toe portion against the bottom of the throat plate, thus assuring that the, yarn goes over the corner of the plate. On the reverse movement, as the leg goes forward, the tension spring still keeps thefeeding end of the toe in contact with the bottom of the throat till the lug t6 stops the straightening out movement just as the feeding end of the finger startsto cross the needle circle..

The invention is applicable to machines in which the clamps are horizontal, as well as to those in which the clamps are vertical. It will be obvious that the clamps and cutter could be arranged in any plane intermediate to those two planes, if so desired. Figs. 17 to 23 inclusive show various forms of the invention embodied in machines in which the clamps lie in a horizontal In Figs. 1? and 18 I have shown plane or planes.

which there are three clamps an embodiment in all arranged in a single horizontal plane at one tween the finger and the last needle which is due to the finger has both horizontal and vertical components. In the vertical clamp type the pushing of the yarn under the clamp is caused by the vertical component, and in the horizontal clamp by the horizontal component. In both forms or embodiments of the invention the horizontal component contacts the yarn with the clamp, but the, vertical component determines the elevation at the moment of contact with the clamping devices and therefore the clamp or clamps which are to take the yarn. The vertical component may be due primarily to the yarn finger, or may be due primarily to the position of the last needle to take the yarn. This difference, in the case of the vertical movement, can be seen clearly in the vertical embodiment in Figs. 13 and 14, and

' is due to both yarn and needle, it might be noted that the manipulation of the yarn can be adjusted by timing the speed at which the fingers are raised, and if'desired, having it hesitate during its raising motion at the exact position where it is desired that the yarn be introduced into the clamp. In the case of such hesitation the movement of the needle will play an important part in placing the yarn under the clamp. In Figs. 17 to'19, the clamps 90, BI and 92 are mounted on the shear plate 88 facing outwardly substantially in a radial direction but bent radially inward so that the clamp 90 nearest the throat plate has its end nearest the needle circle, the next clamp has its end further away from the needle circle, and the third clamp 92 has its end furthest of all from the needle circle. The three clamps all have their ends overlying a downwardly bevelled portion 00 on the dial or shear plate, which affords free entrance for the yarn under the clamp, the

inner ends of the clamps however lying close on the fiat portion of the plate 88. The dotted line yarn shown at 94 coming from the yarn finger 26 lies in the position where it has been clamped and is ready to be cut (Fig. v1'1). For this purpose there is a cutter 95 beyond the three clamps 90, BI, 92 lying above the yarn 94 and held in that position by a bracket 96 mounted on the shear plate 88. The cutting blade-95 is normally held up in its open position by means of a compression spring 98.- The cutter can be operated by the horizontal bar 99 having a bevelled end overlying the top of the cutter 95 and adapted when pushed radially inward to depress the cutter. The arm 99 can be pushed radially inward by the same means which push in the arm 43 in Fig. 1.

It will be observed in Fig. 18 that each of the yarn fingers 25, 26 and 21 are at difierent elevations when; owing to the raising of those yarn fingers and the movement of the last needles to take'the yarns around the circle, the yarns come under the clamps. The hesitation steps on the drum cams are at different levels. As a result the yarn from finger 25 goes under clamp 00, the yarn from finger 26 goes under 9| and the yarn from finger 21 goesunder 92. These three yarn positions are also shown in Fig. 17 in solid and dot-and-dash lines. It will be observed that the three yarns in Fig. 18 lie parallel when viewed from the side, but from Fig.

17 it can be seen that they lie at different an-j gles when viewed from above.

Figs. 20 to 23, inclusive, illustrate an embodiment of my invention in which two horizontal clamps I00, IOI, are arranged one above the other.

As can be seen in Figs. 22 and 23, each clamp comprises a spring blade I02 and. a backing plate I03 having a bevel thereon on the upper side on the comer away from the yarn finger. The manner in which this bevel assists the yarn in placing itself between the backing plate I03'and the spring blade. I02 can be seen by lever I01 in the same manner as the lever 99 and the lever 43 of Figs. 17 and 1, respectively. In the embodiment shown in these Figs. 20 to 23, the diflerentiation in angle of the bights of yarn between thelast needle to take it and the' yarn fingers, is obtained by giving one finger a higher hesitation level than the other. While the two fingers start to rise at the same time, finger 20 hesitates at a lower level than finger 26, and because the two clamps I00 and I M have their outer-ends the same distance from the needle circle, the circular movement of the last nee dies to take the yarns carries the bights of yarn into diflerent clamps. Thus the yarn from finget 20' goes above clamp I ll and into clamp I00. On the other hand, yarn-finger 25 isdelayed sooner, and by the time it has reached a level just below clamp IOI, the last needle to take i-ts yarn has progressed so far around the circle as to bring its bight of yarn under the clamp IOI instead of above it. In this case there is a difference in vertical angle and a difference in horizontal angle, the geometric position of the yarns being such that in their horizontal plane the two yarns cross one above the other, just about in contactwith the ends of the clamps I00 and IN. When the finger 25-or for that matter, any of the other fingersreaches its uppermost position shown in Fig. 20, the finger will have the dotted line position of Fig. 21 and the yarn will by that time lie inside the cutting jaws as well as under a clamp, as shown in Fig. 21.

g It will be observed that while the beginning of the raising of the yarn fingers may of necessity be fixed once the last needle to take any particular yarn has been determined, the rapidity with which the finger rises thereafter and whether or not it hesitates at any intermediate level or changes its rate of rise from one point of its movement to another, can be determined by proper shaping of the drum cam in accordance with the elevation or angle at which the yarn is to be presented in the clamping area.

In the mechanisms above described itwill be obvious .that I can clamp large yarns in one clamp and small yarns in another, or in groups of clamps, as desired. Thus, for instance, in Figs. 17 to 19 the largest yarn can be placed under clamp 92', the middle sized yarn under clamp SI and the smallest yarn under clamp 90. In spite of the fact that the small yarn is under clamp 9l' along with the middle .sized yarn and both the small and middle sized yarns are under clamp 92 with the large yarn, each of the three yarns finds itself under at least one clamp where it is the largest yarn under that clamp. All this is accomplished without having any moving parts in the clamp or introducing any new parts around the throat plate.-

The simplicity and effectiveness of my invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and many modifications which do not depart from the scope. of my invention will doubtless be devised.

What I claim is:

1. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles and a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the circle and adapted to carry their yarns across the needle circle and up when raised from operative posi tion, in combination with a vertical plate just inside the needle circle at a point following the fingers, and a plurality of stationary clamps on said plate adapted to hold yarns laid against the plate and raised under said clamps by the vertical movement of said yarn fingers.

2. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles and a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the circle' and 3. In a circular knitting machine, a circle ofindependent needles, a vertical plate just inside the circle with one side facing outwardly toward the plate and up under-the in a circular knitting machine, the stepsof allowthe needles and a assays downwardly depending clamps on the outer faceflthereof, ini

combination with a plurality of yarnfingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and adapted when raised to carry their yarn against clamps, I I 4. Ina process oi lamping and editing yarns ing the last needle taking a yarn to move past .a motionless, stationary, vertical clamp located inside the needle circle and thentplacing the .yarn in the clamp by moving the. yarn finger feeding said yarn so as to cause the yamto cross the needle circle and movejup under the clamp, and immediately thereafter actuating a i normally open shear to out said .y'arn.

the needle circle and adapted when raised 'to' carry their yarn against'th'e plate and up under 'the clamps.

6. In a circular. knitting machine, a circle of independent needles, a throatplateand a pinrality of stationary clamps inside the circle whose ends are difierent distances from the throat plate, in. combination with aplurality oi 'yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and each adapted when raised to carry its yarn across the needle circle and under the clamps, and means adapted to raise the yarn fingers in varied timed relation to the position of thelast needle to take the yarn whereby the yarns are controlled as to the clamps by which they are taken. 7 v

'7. In a process of cutting and clamping yarns fed from outside theneedle circle in a circular knitting machine, the steps of allowing the last needle to take 'a yard to move past a plurality of clamps inside the needle circle, then putting in a clamp a bight of yarn between the-said needle. and 'a finger by moving the feedirig end of the finger across the circle and up, and clamping another yarn under another clamp on a subsequent course by moving the finger for the second yarn in difierently timed relation to the needle movement so as to present the second bight of yarn in the clamping ,area at a different angle.

8. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles and a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and adapted when raised to carry their yarn across the circle and upwardly,'in combine..-

tion with a plurality of stationary vertical clamps inside the circle whose open ends are at diiTer-' ent elevations, and means to raise, the yarn fingers adapted to cause the yarnsito'be pre-'- sented to the clamps at difierent-angles,thereby insuring that different yarnsllare caught under different clamps.

9. In a circular knitting machine. a ci e f;- independent needles, a throat plate, and a plu-F s ewe rality of stationary clamps inside the ends are diflerent distances from the in, combination with a plurality of tet ..-fle r pivotally mounted outside the needle c le andadapted when raised to-carry their yarn ac the needle circle and under the clamps, and

means to raise the yarn fingers ina varied manner adapted to cause the yarns to be presented to the clamps at diflerent angles, thereby inferent clamps.

suring that diflerent-yarns are caught under Q 10. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of g independent needles, two vertical stationary clamps 'inside the circle one on" topv of the other,

the lower end oi' the topclamp being vertically above the lower end of the under -clamp,'in com bination' with a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needlecircle' and adapted when raised to carry their'yarn across the needle .circle and under the clamps, and means to raise the yarn fingers in a varied manner adapted to cause the yarn to be presented to the clamps vat different angles, thereby insuring that diflcrent fingers, pivotally mounted side byside outside the needle circle and adapted when raised to carry their yarns across the needle circle and upwardly, in combination with a plurality of 'stationary clamps inside the circle whose open ends are at different elevations, means adapted to raise,

any yarn finger at the same moment relativeto the last needle to take yarn when that finger is to be idled, the difference in angles of the yarns due to the difierent distances of the yarn fingers from the clamps causing difierent yarns to be caught under different clamps.

12. In a circular knitting machine; a circle ofindependent needles and a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and adapted when raised to carry their yarns across the circle and upwardly, in combination with a plurality. of stationary clamps inside the circle whose open ends are at different elevations, and means adapted to raise different yarn fingers in difierent timed relation to the last needles to receive the yarn, whereby the bight between each last needle and its finger'is presented to theclamps at a different level and goes into a different clamp or-clamps.

13. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles, a throat plate and a plurality of stationary clamps inside the circle whose ends are different distances from the throat plate,

in combination with aplurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and each adapted when raised to carry its yarn across the needle circle against and up under the clamps,

ends are difierent distances from the throat plate,

in combination with a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and each adapted when raised to carry its yarn across the needle circle against and up under the clamps, and cam means adapted to raise the yarn fingers inverted timed relation to the position of the last needle to take the yarn and to cause fingers to hesitate irra partly raised position whereby the yarns fare accurately placed under different clamps.

15. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles, 9. throat plate and a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the fneedlecircle and adapted to carry their yarns across-the needle circle and up into a 'stationary yarn-clamp 'just inside the needle circle when raised from operative positioraone said yam fingers comprising a pivoted leg, a feeding toe hinged thereto and means tending to keep said toe in contact with the throat plate, whereby said toe has forward and retracted feeding positions.

16. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles, a throat plate and a plu- I independent needles, a throat plate and a plurality of yarn fingers pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and adapted to carry their yarns across the needle circle and up into a stationary yam clamp just inside the needle circle when raised from operative position, one of said yarn fingers comprising a pivoted leg, a feeding'toe hinged thereto, and means comprising a spring and stop adapted to keep the toe in contact with the throat plate in all feeding positions and to 1 permit the toe when raised out of operation to assume its extended position to guide the yarn to the clamp accurately.

'18. In a circular knitting machine, a circle of independent needles and a downwardly depend ing clamp just inside the needle circle, in combination with a heel and toe yarn finger pivotally mounted outside the needle circle and adapted to carry the yarn across the circle up under the clamp when raised from operative position, said linger having thereon means for shortening the distance between the feeding point and the pivot pointof the finger when it comes into contact with the throat plate and lengthening such distance when the finger is raised out of contact with the throat plate to place the yarn under the clamp.

v JAMES L. GETAZ. 

